An Ohio man is facing charges after putting his 13-year-old daughter in a dog cage and binding her hands and feet with duct tape, authorities said.

After the girl escaped the cage the first time on Jan. 10, authorities told WLWT-TV that James Tapke put her back in and told her he would electrocute her if she escaped again. He then allegedly put an electrical jump pack in front of the cage.

Tapke was busted when concerned parents called police after his 12-year-old son posted photos of his sister in the cage on Facebook.

In a court hearing on Friday, Tapke’s lawyer argued that the alarming incident was all just a joke.

“We believe the evidence will eventually show that this was simply some horseplay that ended up, you know, taking pictures,” Christopher Jackson told the TV station. “It just doesn’t look that funny when you see it in pictures … Maybe not the best joke in the world, but I believe that’s what is going to come out later at trial.”

He was released on $50,000 bond. The children are staying with their grandparents.